“We are condemmed to be free.” Jean Paul Sartre
The secret of our own personal growth lies in this freedom. Freedom to choose and freedom to decide. At the same time, we are like unconscious slaves chained to this freedom, with which, the secret begins by recognizing that we make many more decisions than we realize or are willing to recognize. To be truly free, we have to be aware of what and why we choose.
We choose to watch certain types of movies, listen to certain music. We choose to befriend people with good (or bad) habits. We choose to shake our father’s hand rather than hug him. We choose our profession. We choose to listen or not listen to the news. We choose to live in certain areas. We choose the destinations for our holidays and business trips. We choose to get married. We choose to have children. We choose and decide, constantly. Sometimes consciously, other times unconscious of what we are choosing and deciding. But do we really choose and decide intentionally how to live our own lives?
The seemingly irrational thing is that some decisions we make don’t seem like options or choices at all. That is why they are divided into two categories: habits and normative behaviors. Habits are choices we make so regularly that over time they demand less and less executive control. Therefore, they begin to seem automatic. But they are not. When it comes to bad habits, we may even be motivated to give up control to automaticity. That is, we can tell ourselves that the choice was made a long time ago and that we are now at the mercy of the automaticity that has arisen from it.
Yes, we almost always have a choice. Even when it comes to rules that we feel impenetrably strong, where there seems to be no alternative, there is always another option. The option to act differently, the option to think differently, the option to see things from another perspective, and last, but not least, the option to change our attitude.
We must take responsibility for the choices we make or don’t make. Our freedom to choose, or calle it freedom of choice, is what makes us responsible for who we are, and therefore we are condemned to be responsible for who we are and the life we live.
In other words, we are condemned to choose.
If we decide not to choose, that is also a choice.
It is this power of choice, to be an agent of good and evil for us and others, so you decide what you choose: the easy way, or the right way. You decide and choose how much you are willing to grow. And that´s the secrte to personal development. It´s your choice.
Are you determined and feel condemned by the life you live, or do you want to determine, choose and decide the life you want to live? Sometimes all it takes is a slight shift in attitude, or a rearrangement of some values or experiences to free ourselves. We tend not to notice how much we can influence our own lives simply due to lack of awareness, attention, training, evaluation and adequate communication, with ourselves and with others. All being factors within our own responsibility and field of action.
Your results are a direct consequence of your actions and these, in turn, have their origin in your decisions, which are not only conditioned, but also determined by your perspective, which is nothing more than a reflection of what you are aware of.
If you want to delve into this topic and learn how to get rid of your own chains and free yourself, I invite you to get straight to the point.
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